Plastic molding press



July 27 1948 1 H; BLANCHARD 2,446,041

PLASTIC MOLDING PRESS Filed Sept. 6, 1945 soJ 44 I )KMK/45%;

Patented July 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLASTIC MOLDING PRESSLloyd H. Blanchard, Worcester, Mass. Application September 6, 1945,Serial No. 614,652 2 Claims. (Cl. 18-17) This invention relates to apress for molding heated plastic material to the shape desired by meansof a die.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a base, a standardthereon, and a swinging bracket on the standard, said bracket carrying asource of heat and angularly located with respect thereto the bracketcarries a plunger, said plunger mounting at its lower end a heated unitcarrying deformable material, the base being adapted to support a dieand the thermoplastic material to be molded thereto, whereby the lattermay be easily heated until the same is in a plastic or a semi-plasticmoldable condition, whereupon the bracket may be swung to bring theplunger and its heated deformable material over the plastic, so that theplunger may be depressed in a simple manner to press the plasticmaterial to the die, the base being the equivalent of an anvil and theplunger and heated deformable material being the equivalent of a press,whereby thermoplastic molding may be easily and simply accomplishedwithout the necessity for technical skill on the part of the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 isa top plan view of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

There is provided a base I which is adapted to rest on a table or benchand forming a support for the entire device. Rising from base Ill thereis a vertical standard I2 mounting a swingable bracket thereon, bracketI4 swinging on the standard as an axis. Any suitable means such as aWasher or the like I5 may be used to adjustably secure the bracket indesired elevation. The bracket I4 is provided with a long arm I6 and ashort arm I8. The short arm I8 carries rod 28 therein which isvertically adjustable with respect thereto and rod 28 carries onhorizontal portion 22 thereof a lamp housing 24 or other heating means.It will be clear that the entire lamp 24 will swing in a horizontalplane as the bracket I4 is swung on the standard I2.

The long arm I6 of the bracket is provided with a vertical bushing 26slidably carrying a vertically moving plunger 28 therein. At its upperend the plunger is connected to a lever 30, as by a lost motionconnection 32. The lever 30 is pivoted to bracket I4 on a pin 34 toswing in a vertical plane thereon.

At its lower end, plunger 28 has an inverted cup or carrier 36 securedthereto and this cup is adapted to be filled with a kdeformable materialas at 38, said material taking the form of clay or a pneumatic orhydraulic flexible shoe. The cup and its contents may be heated by steamor hot water circulating in pipes 40.

The base I0 carries a block 42 which may be fixed or detachable and thisblock is adapted to be heated by an electric element 44 connected to asource of power thru wires 46.

In the operation of the device, a die or mold 48 is placed on block 42so that the latter will heat the former from the bottom. A sheet ofthermoplastic material 50 is placed on the die 48 receiving heattransmitted thereb and at the same time the source of heat 24 above thebase will heat the thermoplastic material from the top. When thematerial 50 becomes plastic enough to mold, the lever 30 is grasped andswung in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, so that thecup 36 assumes the dotted line position as shown, and the lamp 24 issimilarly and simultaneously moved as also shown in Fig. 1 in dottedlines. Handle 30 is then depressed, moving the plunger down and forcingthe deformable material 38 into pressing contact with the material 50,the contents of the cup having been heated as above described. Hence,plastic material 59 is preheated before molding and the heatingcontinues during the molding process. The result is that the plasticmaterial 58 is made to conform to the die 48 in a simple and easy mannernot requiring technical ability on the part of the operator.

This invention is particularly adapted to fine work such as formingprosthetic dental plates, etc., from the plastic 50 but other uses forthe press are contemplated.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A molding press comprising a base, a standard, a bracket swingable onthe Standard parallel to the base, a source of heat and a plunger on thebracket to swing therewith for selective positioning of either the heatsource or the plunger in operative relation to the base, a carrier onthe lower end of the plunger, means to operate the plunger to approachthe base, deformable material in the carrier, said base being adapted tosupport a mold for pre-heating by the heat source.

2. The press of claim 1 wherein said plunger operating means comprises alever pivoted to the bracket and plunger for swinging the former anddepressing the latter.

LLOYD I-I. BLANCHARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 2,367,779 Hull Jan. 23, 1945 Cooke et alJuly 18, 1944

